A generic cooling system for electrical devices arranged in a switch cabinet is known from DE 10 2009 054 011 B4, including a switch cabinet having a support assembly. On the front side of the switch cabinet, the electrical devices are arranged in rows on top of and next to one another. An air conveying device, with which an air flow may be forced from top to bottom, is on the rear side of the support assembly, in which a partial air flow separated off from the air flow on the rear side of the support assembly may be fed in a targeted manner through multiple passage openings spaced apart from each other in a vertical direction and/or horizontal direction to the electrical devices to be cooled, which are arranged on the front side of the support assembly.
In this known solution in the installed switch cabinet, the support assembly includes horizontally arranged mounting strips, to which at least a portion of the devices is fastened. A strip gap exists between two mounting strips adjacent to one another in the vertical direction. In the area of the strip gap, the passage openings are arranged. The strip gap serves as a feed-through for the electrical connecting wires of the devices.
Electrical and/or electronic devices are frequently arranged in switch cabinets or switch boxes, in particular, in industrial control technology. During operation, the individual devices develop in part a significant heat loss, which results in a temperature increase inside the switch cabinet. To ensure the functionality of the devices, the temperature cannot exceed a maximum value. Thus, semiconductor components installed in the devices can only be operated in a functionally safe manner up to a component temperature of, for example, 85° C. or 125° C.
In developing the known solution according to DE 10 2009 054 011 B4, air flowing on the rear side of the switch cabinet and on the inner side thereof is comparatively cool, for example, because a cooling of the switch cabinet interior takes place via the rear wall of the switch cabinet, or because cool air is fed into this area, for example, via the inflow of cooler ambient air or via the inflow of air cooled by a heat exchanger. In addition, a passive cooling may take place as a result of heat emitted from the switch cabinet or as a result of cooling of the outer side of the switch cabinet by the ambient air.
The targeted guidance of cool air through the passage openings of the support assembly can disperse hotspots formed on the front side thereof, especially in the case in which the passage openings are arranged in the area of any forming hotspots. These hotspots can regularly occur between devices that are adjacent to one another as seen in a vertical direction. In addition, such hotspots may also form on the lee side of the devices disposed on the front side of the support frame, i.e., on the side of an electrical device facing away the air flowing on the front side of the support frame, which is in particular the case if the device is designed with a high volume or with a large surface area. Thus, in the known solution, the passage openings may therefore preferably be arranged on the lee side of the devices, so that the cool air flowing through blows directly into the respective hotspot and thereby disperses the latter. Nevertheless, the known solution leaves room for improvement, in particular, as it concerns air conditioning efficiency, in particular, cooling efficiency.